Dir, Branding & Graphic Design

The Director, Digital Design will have the license and responsibility to ensure that the West Elm brand maintains and reaches its potential- confirming its place in as one of the great lifestyle, specialty brands. 

In collaboration with Merchandising, Product Development, Store Design, Ecommerce, and Marketing, West Elm will look to the Director, Digital Design to influence and inspire the organization with passion and creativity; to push to new heights across all communication platforms including: photography, advertising, print, packaging, catalogue, and editorial. 

 

Candidate Profile 
• 10+ years’ experience as a senior level Creative Director. 
• Proven ability to manage competing demands, while maintaining focus and meeting deadlines 
   and objectives within design and creative services. 
• Highly developed design sense and passion for/understanding of fashion/specialty retail. 
• Storyteller and detail oriented visual director. 
• Ability to interpret global design trends. 
• Infinite curiosity about style, home and lifestyle design. 
• Well-versed in the history and contemporary trends of the home/interiors, design and the visual art worlds. 

 

Professional Attributes 
• Executes to ensure growth and demands the highest standards of themselves. 
• Team leader who can delegate, develop and motivate a team in order to encourage a high level 
   of ownership/accountability and productivity. 
• Proven ability to earn respect and credibility throughout an organization. 
• Strong communicator and relationship builder with the ability to hear/listen to others and in turn present and influence toward the strength of one's own and others ideas and point-of-view. 
• Voracious learner, highly imaginative and passionately curious about the world... be it art, culture, business, and global trends. 
• A process-oriented thinker who anticipates and thinks through business challenges. 
• A bright, high energy, with a strong work ethic; hands-on, self-directed, team-oriented, articulate, flexible and comfortable with candid, direct communication within a fast paced entrepreneurial environment.

 

Responsibilities 
• Inspire and develop the visual direction and functionality for all key West Elm brand channels. 
• Design leadership to develop vision and implementation for the brand expression. 
• Cultivate collaborations with Marketing, Merchandising and Design to support strategic, multi-disciplinary marketing plans. 
• Drive image direction and execution of all communications for the West Elm brand image. 
• Leverage and translate brand’s core equities into a powerfully creative and innovative message that's 
  consistent throughout channels. 
• Ensures that creative resources are in place to carry out the business plan including recruiting, artists 
 collaborations and outside partnerships. 
• Lead and mentor direct reports to include: Art/Photo Director, Editorial Manager, Art Director of Graphic 
Design (Catalog/Packaging) with indirect reports totaling approximately 10+ people. 

 
General Responsibilities 
• Maintain the company’s culture of collaboration, insightfulness, rigor and creativity. 
• Lead, mentor, manage and provide guidance and inspiration to team. 
• Strive for excellence from concept to completion, celebrate and push the boundaries of creativity. 
• Share goals and deliver success among leadership teams. 
• Collaborate with peer set across the team/offices. 
• Embrace the Human soul of the business. 

 

Professional Attributes 

Business Acumen 
Quickly grasp the key business drivers in the home furnishings industry. A fast learner with strong analytic orientation. 
 

Setting Strategy 
Create a vision for the organization, understanding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges while identifying trends and opportunities to enhance business performance; develop strategy to achieve and maintain competitive advantage; and provide focus and direction for organizational and individual action. 
 

 Drive for Results 
Earn credibility through delivering results.  

Balance urgent and effective action, commitment to excellence and taking initiative to resolve problems and work quality.  

Able to take calculated risks. 
  

Leading Teams 
Attract, develop and motivate the talent needed for current and future business requirements.  

Ability to set priorities, foster cohesion, and provide motivation to cross functional teams.  

Articulate an inspiring vision for the future, establishing high performance expectations and settings example through one's own beh